NSW & Sydney Poetry Events - Sydney Writers' Festival 2017 Edition

 

A regular feature from Norm Neill, to encourage the sense of community among poets and the poetry-appreciation community. We would love to have a comprehensive bulletin for Australia-wide, so if you have any feedback, readings, performances, launches, etc. please send an email to kristy@redroomcompany.org. 

 

Thursday 25 May, 3.00–4.00 pm – Miles Merrill will host The Best of the Festival: Poetry and Performance, featuring Hera Lindsay Birlllld, Ali Cobby Eckermann, Ivan Coyote, Carol Ann Duffy and Rupi Kaur. Roslyn Packer Theatre, 22 Hickson Road, Walsh Bay. Tickets $30/$25 (concession) Bookings at www.swf.org.au or on (02) 9250 1988.

Thursday 25 May, 6.00–8.30 pm – The South Coast Writers Centre will present Black Wallaby Indigenous Writers’ Night, featuring readings from Dreaming Inside – Voices from Junee Correctional Centre, Volume 5. Wollongong Art Gallery, cnr Kembla and Burelli streets, Wollongong. Entry $5. Tickets at door.

Thursday 25 May, 7.00–8.30 pm – Auburn Poets and Writers Group will present Grandma’s Bed, in which member will remember stories form their childhoods in various styles and languages. Granville Town Hall, 10 Carlton Street, Granville. Tickets $10 at www.auburn.nsw.gov.au or on 9735 1396.

Saturday 27 May, 10.00–11.00 am – Hani Abdile, aj carrruthers, Eileen Chong and Ali Cobby Eckermann will respond to Dorothea Mackellar’s My Country with poems of their own. Philharmonia Studio, Wharf 4/5, Walsh Bay. Tickets $15. Bookings at www.swf.org.au or on (02) 9250 1988.

Saturday 27 May, 10.00 am–1.00 pm – Local poet Vanessa Kirkpatrick will present The Natural World of the Imagination, which will examine extracts from published writers, and generate new material for participants’ own work. Varuna, the National Writers’ House, 141 Cascade Street, Katoomba. $50/$40 (concession). Bookings at www.varuna.com.au/swf. Enquiries on (02) 4782 5674.

Saturday 27 May, 2.00–3.00 pm – Poets Craig Billingham, Vanessa Kirkpatrick, Mark O’Flynn and Deb Westbury will launch their new collections. Varuna, the National Writers’ House, 141 Cascade Street, Katoomba. Free, but bookings essential at www.varuna.com.au/swf. Enquiries on (02) 4782 5674.

Saturday 27 May, 3.00–5.00 pm – Join poet Mark O’Flynn for the Poetry Circle around the fire pit at Varuna, the National Writers’ House, 141 Cascade Street, Katoomba. Bring your own poem to rerad, or listen and enjoy the ambience. Free, but bookings essential at www.varuna.com.au/swf. Enquiries on (02) 4782 5674.

Saturday 27 May, 4.30–5.30 pm – Toby Fitch will host AVANT GAGA, featuring nine established and emerging poets who write and perform in experimental ways: Michael Farrell, Ali Cobby Eckermann, Jane Gibian, Aden Rolfe, Alison Whittaker, Holly Isemonger, Amelia Dale, and Emily Stewart. Wharf 2 Theatre, Wharf 4/5, Walsh Bay. Tickets $20/$15 (concession). Bookings at www.swf.org.au or on (02) 9250 1988.

Saturday 27 May, 6.30–7.30 pm – Poets Hera Lindsay Bird and Rupi Kaur will present Viral and Verse, in which they’ll discuss their dirty work and the gloriously messy project of challenging sanitised notions of femininity. Roslyn Packer Theatre, 22 Hickson Road, Walsh Bay. Tickets $35/$25 (concession) Bookings at www.swf.org.au or on (02) 9250 1988.

Saturday 27 May, 6.30–8.30 pm – Sydney’s biggest annual youth poetry slam, The Rumble is back. You can listen, perform or even be a judge. Lennox Theatre, Riverside Theatres, cnr Market and Church streets, Paramatta. Free entry, but bookings essential at www.riversideparramatta.com.au or on (02) 8839 3399.

Sunday 28 May, 1.00–3.30 pm – The South Coast Writers Centre will present Rocket Readings, featuring Evelyn Araluen Carr and Garry McDougall, plus an open mic session. Wollongong Art Gallery, cnr Kembla and Burelli streets, Wollongong. Entry $5. Tickets at door.

Sunday 28 May, 2.30–3.10 pm – New Zealand poet Hera Lindsay Bird will discuss the use of metaphor in her work. Curiosity Stage, Pier 2/3 Walsh Bay. Free entry, no bookings.

Sunday 28 May, 3.00–4.00 pm – Bankstown Poetry Slam will showcase the highest scoring poets from its fiercely competitive annual Grand slam. Club Stage, Pier 2/3 Walsh Bay. Tickets $20/$15 (concession) Bookings at www.swf.org.au or on (02) 9250 1988.

Sunday 28 May, 4.30–5.30 pm – ABC RN’s Sarah Kanowski will talk with UK Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy about her life, her work and her ability to break down barriers in both poetry and her career. Richard Wherrett Studio, 22 Hickson Road, Walsh Bay. Tickets $15 Bookings at www.swf.org.au or on (02) 9250 1988.